An 18-year-old female who died after being found unconscious Monday night by the railway tracks in Armstrong has been identified by her sister as 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest.

Photograph by: CHBC

Police in the Okanagan say they've had no further contact from whoever wrote a threatening letter claiming responsibility for the Halloween-night murder of Armstrong teen Taylor Van Diest.

But the hunt for a killer remains very active, with 30 investigators assigned to the case, said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.

Local officers are getting help on the case from E Division's major-crimes unit and experts in behavioural science.

The 18-year-old recent high school graduate was attacked while heading out, dressed up as a zombie for Halloween, to meet a friend on the evening of Oct. 31. She died in hospital later that night, reportedly from severe head injuries.

The Armstrong detachment received a letter Nov. 9 from someone who claimed to be the killer and threatened more violence against women.

Police have been unable to confirm the letter as real or a hoax, but warned the community as a precaution.

"Investigators have not received any further communications in any form from the author(s) of the letter," Moskaluk said in a press release Friday.

"The dedicated tip line remains activated and we again urge anyone with information regarding Taylor's homicide to please contact investigators," he said. "We have received upwards of 50 tips to date and still want to hear from anyone with information."

Thanks for your links everyone. So, it must be a dna match from the sexual assault and now this murder.The police did say walk in pairs, quite awhile back in the investigation.Now, the hard part is putting a name to the face, and catching him. Somehow he does not look caucasian to me. With the darker skin tone, and coupled with the shape of the nose, ..., he could be mediterranean or from the middle east. Just my thoughts as to the drawing.

Police have released a sketch of a suspect in the Halloween murder of 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest, and say DNA evidence has linked him to a sex assault six years ago.

The sketch shows a white man with a darker skin tone, between 25 and 26 years old. Police say the suspect has brown eyes, short dark hair, and is between 5-8 and 5-10 tall with a stocky build. He also has large, distinct sideburns and thick eyebrows.

The composite drawing was made from descriptions gathered after a sex assault on an employee at the Garden of Eden escort agency in Kelowna, B.C. on April 12, 2005.

RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told reporters Wednesday that DNA taken from the scene of Van Diest's murder in Armstrong matches samples gathered at the escort agency after the assault.

"Investigators can confirm the match; however, they do not have the outright identity of this person at this time," Moskaluk said, adding that the man is believed to be a resident of the Okanagan Valley.

Police are pleading with anyone who might have information about the suspect to come forward -- particularly family and friends who might have noticed warning signs before and after the killing.

Moskaluk notes that the man responsible for killing Van Diest might have come home after Halloween with scratches on his face and neck inflicted by the slain girl as she tried to fight him off. The suspect may have experienced social or financial problems leading up to the murder and police say that he might have acted strange or withdrawn from normal life afterwards.

Van Diest died in hospital on Oct. 31 after she was found unconscious and severely injured near the railroad tracks that run through the small town of Armstrong. Police are not revealing the cause of death, but say they believe the attack was random.

The slain teen was last heard from shortly after leaving her family home to meet up with someone. She was dressed like a zombie at the time.

Friends say the last word from Van Diest was a text message to her boyfriend reading, "I'm being creeped."

Van Diest's family says that her boyfriend was the one to discover the teen lying gravely injured in a bushy area.

A little more than a week after the murder, police received a letter from someone claiming to be the murderer and threatening further violence against women. Moskaluk says investigators have yet to determine if the letter is legitimate and have not received any further communication from the author.

Moskaluk says residents of the Armstrong area should continue to take extra steps to preserve their safety.

Police have yet to make any arrests in connection with the murder. A dedicated tip line has been set up at 1-888-688-4264.

Somebody must know a guy with that distinctive look who lives in B.C. He may have stopped for gas or food on his way to Armstrong...someone must remember him. Thanks for embellishing the links...much better!

It is just over 70km between Armstrong and Kelowna....there is not that many towns between these 2, the biggest one being Vernon. Hope they are taking a good look to see if anyone in those towns match that description. Hope they don't discount anyone at this point. This perp has graduated from sexual abuse to murder in 6 years. Quiet in-between? hmmm

The letter, did it in fact come from the killer. Would they have checked it for dna as well. Someone may step forward now, especially since the public believes that he is capable of striking again. I`m not an expert in the mental health field, but I wonder if he was in such a state of mind, (so totally fractured) that when he saw a ``zombie``, he freaked out. She was followed, but I don`t think they (the perp and the poor victim) even remotely knew each other.

The fact that she was attacked while dressed like a "Zombie" (blood, white makeup) makes me think of how victims are depersonalized. I think that's the similarity between this attack and the one in 2005. The victim in the first instance worked in a profession the depersonalizes women. In costume, it would be easy to depersonalize Taylor. I think the perp may have an enmeshed relationship with a female and seeks women from whom he can feel completely detached.

"The sexual assault occurred on April 12, 2005 and was reported to the Kelowna RCMP at that time," said RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk. "The assault occurred inside the Garden of Eden Escort Agency which was then, and still is, located in the downtown area of Kelowna."

The RCMP still doesn't know the suspect's identity, but officers are re-releasing a composite sketch from 2005. The man is described as follows:

Caucasian male with a darker skin tone, 19-20 years of age (making him now 25-26 years old), dark coloured eyes possibly brown, and with short dark hair. He is believed to be between 5'8" and 5'10" with a stocky build. He is not particularly fit or muscular.

Police are also releasing a bit of a psychological profile, hoping the man's family gives them a call.

"We ask that residents of the Okanagan to think back to the days just prior to Taylor's murder on Halloween night to see if they recall some form of conflict, or personal upset on the day or days leading up to Halloween," Moskaluk said. "This may include financial pressures, relationship pressures, job loss or other serious life stressor."

"There may have also been changes to his regular routine, such as missed appointments, commitments to work or school. Friends, family and associates would have likely observed noticeable changes in his mood on or around Halloween night, which may have included a withdrawal or loss of interest in his usual activities, changes in appetite, changes in sleep patterns, irritability, increased use of alcohol or drugs or changes in personal grooming and hygiene."

Moskaluk says the man probably had scratches and cuts on his body in early November. He believes he is still living in the Okanagan Valley.

Van Diest's badly beaten body was found near some railroad tracks and she died before she arrived at the hospital. She was going to a Halloween party when she was attacked.

Earlier this month, police got a letter from someone claiming to be her killer warning more young women could be targeted. It's still not known if the letter was legitimate.

The RCMP is asking anyone with information about this suspect to contact police via the dedicated tip line 1-888-688-4264.